Protect stock and record the problem
When a restaurant or catering fridge stops holding its normal temperature, tell the manager responsible for food safety and start your site breakdown procedure. Record when the problem was found, the display reading, any alarm and the last satisfactory temperature check. Use your established monitoring method; a cabinet display alone does not establish the condition of the food.
Keep door openings to a minimum and stop loading the affected unit. Move stock to suitable working cold storage where your food-safety procedure calls for it, without overloading the receiving fridge. Label and segregate stock whose temperature history is uncertain, and keep it out of service pending the responsible manager's assessment. Do not rely on smell, appearance or the fridge cooling down again to decide whether food is suitable to serve.
Safe observations before the engineer arrives
Staff can gather useful information without opening the cabinet machinery. From a safe, accessible position, check the following:
- Controller: note the displayed temperature, set-point and exact alarm code. Record recent changes instead of changing settings repeatedly.
- Doors: look for packaging obstructing closure or a visibly damaged seal.
- Airflow: note stock blocking internal vents or boxes stored against external ventilation openings. Keep the normal clearance specified in the equipment manual.
- Power: note whether the display is lit and whether nearby equipment has also lost power. Do not repeatedly reset a tripping circuit.
- Conditions: record heavy deliveries, frequent door opening, unusually warm kitchen conditions or recent cleaning before the fault appeared.
Stop at observation. Do not remove panels, touch wiring, chip off ice, apply heat to frozen components or attempt refrigerant work. If there is smoke, a burning smell, sparking or water near electrical parts, keep staff away and follow the site safety procedure. Only switch off equipment if it is safe to do so.
Describe symptoms without guessing the repair
Running but warm: note whether the problem affects the whole cabinet, when it started and whether doors close properly. Airflow, controls and refrigeration faults can produce similar symptoms; a warm cabinet does not prove it needs refrigerant.
Ice, water or unusual noise: photograph visible ice or pooling water from a safe position and describe whether the noise is constant or intermittent. Keep people clear of slips and electrical hazards. Do not dismantle fans or drains to investigate.
Intermittent temperature changes: keep a timeline of readings, alarms and kitchen activity. A reading during a defrost cycle may need different interpretation from a sustained temperature rise; follow the manual and your monitoring procedure rather than assuming either is harmless.
Prepare for a commercial refrigeration visit
Send the unit make, model and serial number if the label is safely accessible, alongside photographs, alarm codes, temperature records and previous repair details. Explain whether it is a prep counter, upright catering fridge, display cabinet or another unit, and whether alternative storage is available.
Give the engineer the site address, access arrangements and a named on-site contact. Ask for current attendance availability, what the initial visit covers and how additional labour and parts will be authorised. See our commercial fridge repair service in London and commercial refrigeration call-out and service rates for booking context.
Agree the return to use and follow-up
Ask for the diagnosis, completed work, outstanding parts and any operating restrictions in writing. Before restocking, confirm stable operation through your normal temperature checks and have the responsible manager authorise return to use under the site food-safety procedure. A repaired fridge does not resolve uncertainty about previously affected stock.
Log recurring faults against the same asset. Review door seals, loading practices and the maintenance schedule with the engineer, using the kitchen's workload and equipment condition to plan the next visit.
Discuss your equipment with Bear
Tell us about the equipment, symptoms and site access so we can discuss the next step.